Dec 24

Merry Christmas Eve!
I hope you are all amongst family and friends celebrating, laughing and making memories.
We will be having dinner with our close friends Monica and Peanut! They will be hosting a devine dinner with family and friends; there will be plenty of food and spirits to go round; even a gift exchange! So blessed to have such great friends.
Enjoy this night! May peace shower you at midnight!
Love and wishes,
Veronique

Countdown!

Can you believe it? Only 2 more days until Christmas!
Happy shopping!
V

Jolly Times

Howdy!
This weekend brought us a new adventure! We spent the day in Livermore making ourselves familiar with their wineries. We had lunch at Garre Vineyards -- very quaint; food was delicious. Our first wine tasting event was at McGrail Vineyards; family owned and operated; the boys reported that they have great wine and Greg ended up purchasing a case! (Soon we will start our own winery - BG&P Winery; which means "Body Guard and Peanut"). Our second stop (which was a walk across the street) was White Crain Winery; not too impressed. We need to investigate some others but 5 hours of wine tasting for this day was enough. We ended up having a very nice dinner at Vic Stewart's in BWood. Very good food, service and atmosphere -- that restaurant is due to please and succeed! We are happy good things are coming to The Wood.

It was a jolly good time this weekend!
V

The Party Goes On

Saturday we celebrated Peanut's birthday! He took it in true form and enjoyed all the festivities (especially the Patron). He sang some duets, danced, bartended, and loved being in the lime light. He's quite the performer.

Happy Birthday Peanut! Looking forward to a grand 2009 of memories.
V

Shoot the Duck

Howdy,
Remember those days of: couple skate, shoot the duck, reverse direction, girls only.... well if you've forgotten, I'm talking about roller skating. We went roller skating for Monica's birthday. We had a ball! Some of us saw the floor quite a bit; others got blisters; and some of us rolled with the punches. There were a lot of teeny bopers there. Regardless, we made the best of it and got in some good exercise.

After our work-out, we dined at Zachary's Pizza and took in a few cocktails. It was quite relaxing and was a great way to soothe our sore bones.

Fun times in CA!
V

Happy Birthday Friend!

Hi All,
Today is my dear friend Magic Mona's birthday!
Cheers to you buddy and I can't wait to see you do shoot the duck on the roller skating floor! I know you're still young enough to do it!
Happy Birthday!
V

Hoops

Today at lunch I will be playing hoops with the guys! Yep! I always get recruited for some athletic activities. I don't mind -- it will be my second workout of the day and everyone knows I need serious practice with basketball. Hopefully I'll be quick on the court! Just another day at the office!
V

Merry and Bright

I love this season for the simple reason that I get to spoil my girls! I love shopping for secret surprises, practical gifts, and sentimental keepsakes. The girls appreciate what's given to them and that makes it so much easier to give. I am grateful that I have two girls to spoil! I'm counting the days until we are all reunited.
I love you girls!
Mom

Yummy!

Howdy,
This weekend was not lacking fun, food, or festivites.

Friday night we went to support our friend Shawna Lynn at the Wild Idol. She did a great performance; we even snuck in a few dances.

Saturday we took our friends Monica and Peanut out for dinner for their birthdays. We started the evening with nothing more than wine tasting at J Lohr. There was a very quaint tasting room which gave 6 FREE tastings. It was a great way to warm up for the yummiest dinner at Maggiano's. The Italian food here is out of this world; the portions are gigantic; and the atmosphere is fabulous. We enjoyed our 3 hour dinner which comprised of: calamari, fried zucchini, stuffed mushrooms, chopped salad, ceasar salad, garlic shrimp linguini, beef medalions, chicken saltimboca, and rigattoni with mushrooms and chicken. Dessert was: tiramasui and pound cake. It was super delicious!!! We all rolled out of the restaurant and immediately felt like taking a nap. This is going to be our annual location for December birthdays!

Sunday I went with my friend Meghan to an antique fair in Alameda. I couldn't believe how many old things were for sale! People were buying things left and right. Never know what you're going to find there! While I was shopping, Greg was making home-made truffles (500) with my dad. They are super yummy and will definitely contribute to a side pouch on my waistline.

I had a fantastic weekend and am ready to hit this coming weekend hard! Lots in store. Will write more later.
V

Valley of Vino

YEP - you guessed it!! Another trip to Napa! We are becoming seasoned veterans. Key players were:

- Matt (Cornholio)
- Meghan
- Greg (Body Guard or BG; also Big Greg)
- V (Event Planner)
- Monica
- Peanut (Anthony)

We closed out November with a bang!

Our agenda included:
- Domaine Chandon (It was a first-time visit for four of us. The grounds are gorgeous and the bubbly was flowing. Definitely a place to make a second visit and possibly have lunch at their five-star restaurant called Etoile).
- Turnbull (Peanut became a member at this winery which allowed all of us to get free tastings -- and quite a few I might add! This was a quaint winery with beautiful vineyards.)
- Taylor's (This is a super yummy hamburger stand that always has a wait line of about 30 - 40 minutes; it was worth the wait. They have big, juicy hamburgers and the seating is all outdoors. Definitely a recommended lunch spot. They also have a location in San Francisco (by the clock tower)).
- Niebam-Coppola Estate Winery (This again was the first-time visit for four of us. This property has beautiful grounds -- they also have a mini-museum of film; very interesting.)
- Alpha Omega - (This is always the last stop on our tour. We are wine members here and always get great service and an abundance of free wine pours; very dangerous! The setting is relaxing and the wines are delicious (of course the four people tasting always tell me this. The boys treated themselves to some fine cigars as they relaxed on the patio. We always tend to have a "happy" time here with many laughs, wine spills, and cases to go.)
- Prevot's - (This is an eatry in Brentwood; we are trying to support our local merchants. It has delicious food but horrible service; very slow and not well planned. That evening featured belly dancing and a Hannah Nicole Wine pour.)

An OUTSTANDING weekend! We had so much laughter, stories, memories, and firsts.

Thank you to Meghan, Matt, Peanut, and Monica for being true friends and always making life so much fun! I appreciate your friendship!

Cheers,
V
P.S. Steve (in Michigan) -- you missed a great time and some great driving by the DD (of course that would be me) -- wish you could have been there! Next time! Miss you and hope you make it to Cali in 2009!

Enjoying S.F.

Greetings,
We started our day on Nov. 28 with a tennis doubles match. It was great to be back on the court with a 20-year absence. I was a bit rusty but I quickly kicked in the after burners and proceeded to get back into true form. It was a fun challenge with Monica and Peanut -- we will be back on the court soon (I know you're begging for a re-match)!

We enjoyed some unusual Friday wine tasting at Hannah Nicoles -- we are getting to be their favorite customers. They always welcome us with opened bottles of wine, spirits and conversation. It is a great way to start the weekend.

After some well-deserved tastings after tennis, we proceeded to head down to San Francisco. We started the day at the Buena Vista. An irish coffee was calling our names! We made friends with a therapist that had proposed to his wife at the Buena Vista in 1961 -- it made for great conversation and an insightful outlook on life.

A trip to the city wouldn't be complete with a stop at Hooter's. We intended to have an oyster shooter in honor of Peanut (he loves them) and come to find out they no longer serve them -- it was a huge disappointment. We still enjoyed a cocktail and a few appetizers.

As we wandered through Fisherman's Wharf, crab was calling our names. Some of us savored a good bowl of crab louie.

Our intention for the day was to attend the tree lighting in Union Square -- this quickly came to a halt when we witnessed thousands of people awaiting the switch to be activited; of course, this resulted in mass traffic jams and fewer parking. Always having a Plan B, we headed to Bucca de Bepo for dinner; it was Peanut and Monica's first visit. We enjoyed a delicious dinner: calamari, brushetta, pepperoni pizza (mighty tasty), fettucini alfredo (one of the best I've had), and proscuitto chicken; all accompanied by a good bottle of vino. It was a great Italian feast -- soon to be revisited!

Thank you Mona and Peanut for the fun times and memories!
V

Laughing All The Way

Howdy,
On Nov 26 we had a great time at a comedy show featuring a female from Last Comic Standing and an artist that has performed with Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, and others. It was constant laughter! We also enjoyed a great meal at Capp's; the service, food and setting were all spectacular!

It was another fun night with friends.
V

Happy December

It's December 1 -- only 24 more days!
Just wanted to wish you a happy month filled with imagination, colors and surprise.

I will post about my fabulous weekend tomorrow.
Enjoy this day,
V